Scaffolding and apparatus therefor



H. SWAY Aug. 17, 1943.

SCAFFOLDING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 17, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HENRY SWAY Aug. 17, 1943. H. SWAY 2,326,983

SCAFFOLDING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 17, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HENRY SWAY FIG. 5 BY TTORNE Patented Aug. 17, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE soarronnme AND APPARATUSTHEREFOR Henry SwamCineinnati, 011 Application September 17, 1940, Serial No. 357,138

This invention relates to scaffolding.

An object of the present invention is to providescaffolding which is adapted to be suspended beneath horizontal surfaces, such as ceilings, andv the like, or which is adapted to be suspended against vertical surface like.

Another object of thepresentinvention, is to provide improved anchorage means for securely engaging elevated loadsustaining members from which the scaffolding is suspended. I

w A further objectof the invention is toprovide three basic structural units from which any type of suspended scaffolding may be quickly and inexpensively fabricated. I

Still another object of the invention is to P of such as walls and the vide improved fully suspended scaffolding which eliminates entirely the need for cumbersome andv rality of parallel vertically spaced work levels or platforms.

sun a further object of the'invention is toprovide fully suspended wall scaffolding embodying mean for shifting 'eachiworkplatform towards and against the outer surface of the vertical wallagainst which the scaffolding is hung .v Still a further object I of the invention is to 4 clai (Cl. 304-15). I V I the invention, operatively associated with ahori zontal load support member in the form of an I beam.

Fig. 5

taining member.

bridge-beam tong hooks, which comprise a detail of the invention, operatively associated withthe lower flange of a bridge I beam. I y

With reference to Fig. I, it will be noted that the scaffolding of the present invention comprises broadly speaking, anchorage'or support-surfaceengaging means I0 and hanger means I I .suspended therefrom. Suitable platform forming material, such as a board I2 is adapted to engage and be supported between a pair of spacedhang ers II, as shown.

With reference to Fig. 2.1g will be noted that hanger means I.I, hereinafter referred to as awall hanger or wall stirrup I I, as contrasted with.

the ceiling hanger or stirrup I3 of Fig. 3, comprises a shank portion I4, the upper end of which I terminates in an attachment member I5 and the lower end of which terminates in a closed loop,

I6. .In the preferred embodiment of the inven-. tion, the wall hangers II as well as the ceiling hangers I3 are*fabricated. from a single length of rod stock, such as cold rolled steel or thelike,

whereby to provide a unitary one piece hanger,

provide improved anchorage means for positivelyengaging elevated load sustaining members such as I beams and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved. anchorage means for engaging overhanging load supporting ledges and the like without becoming overbalanced under load. I

Stilla furthehr 'object of the invention is to provide suspended scaffolding, the component parts of which are structurally strong, yet simple in structure and inexpensive in cost,

These and other objects. are attained by the means described herein, and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Fig. 1 is a 'side'elevatio'nal view of a wall scaffoldembodyingthe teachings or the present invention, suspended against a vertical wall from an overhanging, load-sustaining member, to wit, the gutter. 1

' Fig. 2 is a side elevational view showing two basic hanger units which comprise a detail of" the invention, suspended one from the other.

Fig, 3 is a side elevational view of a so-called' ceiling hanger, as contrasted from the wall hangers of Fig. 2. 1

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of my improved anchorage means in the form of a hanger hook or a pair of hangerton'g's comprising a detail of The closed loops I6 of thehangers of Figs. 2 and 3, comprise a bottom element II, a front elementIB, a rear element I9 and a pair of upwardly convergent top elements 20. A scaffold board, denoted generally by the numeral I'Zfis adopted to be introduced, end first, through loop I6 of each of a pair of spaced hangers so as to rest upon bottom element I'I between the front.

and rear elements It} and I9, as shown.

The primary distinction between wall hangers I I and ceiling hangers I3 is that'each wall hanger is provided with means for permitting another hanger to be suspended from its bottom element,

as disclosed in Fig.2, thereby making it possible to provide a plurality of work levels-one below another onthe face of a vertical wall. Said means may comprise a U-shaped auxiliary load bearing loop 22 provided in bottom element II. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, front element I8 of loop I6 comprises one leg of said U-shaped auxiliary loop 22in order that.

anyundue stresses induced in said auxiliary loop by a load applied thereto will be divided between front element III and bottom element II, instead of being concentrated or localized on bottom II as would be the case were the auxiliary loop 22 provided entirely in bottom I1 intermediate the front and rear elements I8 and I9.

With reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that is aside elevationalview of one of the legs of the pair of hanger tongs of Fig. 4, operatively associated with an overhanging load susi front element l8 of the lower hanger B bei-ng' positively shifted against the outer face C of vertical wall 3|, thereby precluding accidental and/or unintentional shifting of the work nlatr form upon which the operators are supported, away'from said wall.

In actual practice, the lower wall hanger B will assume the position indicated by dotted lines relative to upper hanger A and wall il; It will be noted that the upper of front-element H! :of the lowermost hanger is thus positively shifted towards and actually engages the outer face C of wall 3| at point D.

If desired, another wall hanger may be hung froinauxi-liary loop -22 of thelower hanger B, and so on until the entire side wall C has 'been provided with scairoldi-ng. It will be observed that the completed wall scaffold comprises a plurality of so-called basic units, each of which comprises a pair of wall hangers H and a scafiold board l2. 3

It should likewise be observed that inasmuch as each lower wall hanger is suspended from the auxiliary loop of the next higher wail hanger, the necessity for braced reinforcements and for scaffolding erected from the ground-up, is effectively eliminated.

By reason of the inter-relationship between the attachment member of a lower wall hang er and the auxiliary loop 22 of the'next wall hanger, a pivotal connection is provided which enables the lower wall hanger to'befreely shifted to the right or to the left or 'a vertical dropped from the center of loop'221 Such pivotal connection permits suspended scafiolding to be erected against surfaces which are inclinedor curved away from a vertical, such as by ways-of example, the'hull of a ship, This may be expeditiously accomplished by drawing the closed loop portion H5 of each hanger against the hull of the ship by means of ropes, cables, or the like. In order to'provide safety means to prevent operatxrrs from falling from the rear side of the scaffolding, a railing support 50 maybe-secured to each wall hanger. Such a support may'fcomprise a length of rod-like stock bent' to provide one or more loops such a '23 andlfl throughv which lengths of boarding, pipe,-cable, rope or the like may be threadedf Opposite ends .of the rod may be secured to shank H and to the rear element 19 of the loop l6 means of spot weldingyor the like: I 1

- The ceiling hanger of Fig. 3', may, if desired, be provided witha safety-radon both sides. of.

The anchorage, or supportsurfac en'ga'ging means i9 may comprise a one piece hanger hook including a hook-shaped upper portion or jaw 28 and a body portion 2'8, thelower of which terminates in a load bearing eyelet 21. As illustrated in Hg. 1, tire point or load-bearing tip 28 of jaw engages the bottom 29 of a gutter 30, or other overhanging support memher, at a pointdisposcd insubstantial alignment was the plane of outer face C of vertical wall .or. a load applied to eyelet 21 causes the hanger hook to snugly abut wall 3! as eyelet 21 seeks to become vertically aligned below tip 28. In this manner, the lower portion 32 of hook l9 normally h bears against the outer face of the wall, thereby efiectively eiiminatingall danger of the hook be- 1 coming cverbalanced under load.

With reference to Fig. 5, it will be noted that if desired a hole 34 may be provided in the hook or jaw portion 25 of hanger hook rhythrough which a rope 35, cable or the like may be passed for the purpose of securing or anchoring said hook against accidental-or unintentional outward disengagement from gt'ittfer 86. Such eyelet likewise provides attachment means through which a rope, or the may be passed to facilitate hoisting of the hanger hook from the ground up to the overhanging load bearing support member.

In these instances where it is desirable or necessary to suspend the ceiling hanger of Fig. '3 frame horizontal load-sustaining member such as a beam or the like, the tongs ofFlg. 4 are particularly useful. These tongs comprise a pair of identical orcorresponding hanger hooks it, which are turned relative to one another so as to provide a left and a right hook prlvotaily interconnected bymeans of "a bolt; 86 which passes through aligned bolt holes 31 provided one through the body portion 25 of each hook member intermediate eyelet 27 and -jaw 25. a

' it should be noted that the centers of the bolt holes 81 are on a straight line FF passed through the center of the load bearingeyeiet .21 and on the center of web 88 of 1 beam 39 with which said tongs are adapted to be'associated. By reason of this relationship it is seen that eye- 'lets 21 of the pivotally joined hooks 18 are 'disposed in register only when the load bearing tips 28'are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of the web of I beam 39. 'It

has been found that by causing the eyelets 2! to register when the lateral distance betwe'en'ho'ok tips 28 is five-eighths of an inch for a Jaw havinga radius of three inches, such a pair of tongs will accommodate standard I beams having a flange width up to and including six inches.

1n the preferred embodiment of the invention, a small hole M, having its center on line F-F,

' is provided through each of the hook or tong leg member Ill, between bolt h'olestl and eyelets 21.

After the tips 25 cf the respective jaws of a pair of tongs have been'closed over the upper face of the lower flange of an I beam, a pin, nail, or the like, may be passed through the aligned holes H whereby to positively, though. temporarily, lock the jaws of the tongs to the I 'bjeain until the attachment member i5 of a hanger can be introduced through the aligned and registered load bearing eyelet 21. It. is preferable, though not absolutely necessary, to withdraw the tem-' porary locking means from holes in after the hanger have been suspended from the registered eyelets 21', in order to have but one law locking means operative. In those instanceswhere the eyelets 21 are not in complete'i'egiste'r, the greater the load applied to said eyelets by means or a hanger attachment member It, the

tighter the jaw tips 28 will be drawn together against the web 38, thereby increasing the bond between the tongs and the load sustaining memher.

The pair of tongs disclosed in Fig. 6 are fundamentally and structurally similar to the tongs of Fig. 4, being distinguishable therefrom in size only. The tongs of Fig. 6 are particularly adapted for use in large structures such as bridges, and the like, wherein web I38 is from three inches to several feet in width. Those parts of Fig. 6 which correspond to similar parts of Fig. 4 bear the same numerals, raised however, by one hundred. It should be noted that the load bearing eyelets I21 are on a vertical axis F-F dropped from the center of web I38 and that the pivot bolt I36 passes through the registered pivot holes I31 which are disposed on said vertical axis F-F. In this manner the load is evenly distributed to each leg of the tongs, whereby the pull on flange l4l' on opposite sides of web I38 is equalized.

It should be observed that by using the three basic elements, viz., wall hanger I I, ceiling hanger I 3 and a pair of hanger tongs of Fig. 4, it is possible to provide fully-suspended scaffolding of the so-called ceiling or wall type without having to resort to special equipment. When the hooks comprising a pair of hanger tongs are separated, they provide a pair of hanger hooks each of which are adapted to engage an overhanging load bearing support member from which a wall hanger may be suspended without danger of said hook being unbalanced when subjected to load.

It should be noted that in the event a loadin excess of the yield point of a hanger hook be applied thereto, the hook cannot become overbalanced and twist about its vertical plane and snap off as occurs when a painters scaffold hook is over loaded. Hanger hook ID, will under an excess load, merely be drawn downwardly as the loop or jaw portion is straightened out, during which process the body portion 32 will remain in contact with the wall as at point E of Fig. 1. Therefore, it is apparent that even though my hanger hooks be overloaded, they will never become overbalanced.

It should be understood that the hanger tongs of Fig. 4 may be anchored from a wooden beam or rafter by merely drilling a pair of holes in opposite faces thereof to provide a grip for the jaw tips 25.

It should likewise be understood that various modifications and changes in the structural details of the various basic devices may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a building wall including an overhanging load sustaining member, of a fully suspended wall scaffold comprising a plurality of similar basic units, each basic unit comprising a pair of wall hangers and a scaffold board, each wall hanger comprising a shank, the upper end of which is provided with an attachment member and the lower end of which is provided with a closed scaffold-boardreceptive loop which includes an auxiliary load bearing loop, each auxiliary load bearing loop adapted to receive an attachment member of a hanger of a second basic unit which is secured to and suspended from said first basic unit which is carried by and suspended from said overhanging load sustaining member. I

2. The combination with a building wall including an overhanging load sustaining member, of a fully suspended Wall scaffold comprising a plurality of similar basic units suspended one from another, each basic unit comprising a pair of wall hangers and a scaffold board which extends between and is supported by said hangers, each hanger comprising a shank the upper end of which is provided with an attachment member and the lower end of which is provided with a closed scaifold-board-receptive loop which includes bottom, front, rear and top elements, said loop including an auxiliary load bearing loop provided in said bottom element adjacent the front element, said auxiliary loop adapted to receive the attachment member of the hanger of a second basic unit suspended therefrom, and means for securing the attachment members of the uppermost basic unit to said overhanging load sustaining member, the front element of the loop of each suspended hanger adapted to normally abut said wall for maintaining said scaffold boards in close proximity to said wall.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a scaffold hanger fabricated from a single length of rod like stock bent to form a base portion, a pair of upstanding side members disposed at substantial right angles to said base, a pair of top members which converge upwardly from said side members to a common apex and a shank portion extending upwardly from said apex and .at substantial right angles to said base, the upper end of said shank being turned upon itself to provide an inverted U-shaped hook the legs of-which are in a plane at substantial right angles to the plane of said side members, said base being provided with a U- shaped loop adjacent a side member, wherein one leg of said loop is common with said side member, said loop adapted to receive the hookof a second similar hanger for suspending said second hanger therefrom;

4. As a new article of manufacture, a scaffold hanger fabricated from a single length of rod like stock bent to form a base portion, a pair of upstanding side members disposed at substantial right angles to said base, a pair of top members which converge upwardly from said side members to a common apex and a shank portion extending upwardly from said apex and at substantial right angles .to said base, the upper end of said shank being turned upon itself to provide an inverted U-shaped hook the legs of which are in a plane atsubstantial right angles to the plane of said side members, said base being provided with a U-shaped loop adjacent a side member, wherein one leg of said loop is common with said side member, said loop adapted to receive the hook of a second similar hanger for suspending said second hanger therefrom, and a railing support carried by and secured to said hanger, said railing support comprising a length of rod-like stock bent to an L-shape, the free end of one leg of the L being connected to said shank and the free end of the other leg of said L being secured to that side member remote from said loop, said 

